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Woman walking down a walkbridge into the woods - Hysterectomy information, post-operative care - laparoscopic
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Post-Operative Care

Length Of Stay:
For a laparoscopic or vaginal surgery, including a hysterectomy, you can expect to stay in the hospital one night and leave the morning after your surgery. Sometimes an extra day is needed, although this is very rare.

Patients who have had an abdominal surgery typically spend two nights in the hospital and leave on the third day.

Pain Control:
Pain control will be achieved mostly by oral medication. There will be IV medication available to you if needed.

You will be sent home with prescription strength Motrin and another stronger mediation, most commonly Percocet.

You should take the Motrin every 8 hours for the first week, even if you are not in pain when you take it. This will help keep your pain down and help you recover faster.

Pain is a lot harder to stop when it is severe. “Don’t be a hero” and take your medication if you need it.

Voiding Trial:
Sometimes you will have a voiding trial the morning before you leave. Your bladder will be filled with saline through your catheter, which will then be removed. You will then be asked to void in a hat. The amount of urine you void will determine if your bladder is working normally. If you don’t pass the voiding trial, the catheter will be reinserted and you will go home with a catheter for approximately one week. You will then come to the office where we will perform another trial.

Note: Not all surgeries will necessitate a voiding trial. Talk to you doctor about whether or not you will need a voiding trial after your surgery.

Follow Up:
You will return to the office 2 weeks after your surgery and again at 6 weeks, which will be your last scheduled post op visit.

Recovery:
Although very common, a hysterectomy is a major surgery. People return to baseline more quickly after a laparoscopic procedure, but it can still take a full six weeks until you feel back to normal. You may need to take anywhere from two up to six weeks off from work in order to recover. Talk to you doctor about how much time you may need given the type of surgery you are having.

The rule of laparoscopy is that you should be getting a little bit better every day. If you are getting worse, call our office as it could be a sign of a complication.